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| Photo Credit: Agri-Starts II, Inc. |
| Thanks to its drooping habit, the classic Boston fern is ideal for hanging baskets. |
There’s nothing more beautiful to me than a house with a front porch dotted with large, flowing ferns. I’m talking about the really big hanging baskets where the fronds dangle way down. What a truly classic look! But ferns also make great plants for indoor and outdoor gardening.
There are up to 12,000 species of ferns in the world today, and they work well in almost any gardening situation. These plants also stand out, thanks to their variety of shapes and colors. (Most ferns that we’re used to seeing are green, but some have beautiful red, silver or even variegated leaves.) Grown largely for their lovely and interesting foliage, ferns don’t flower. They reproduce by the spores that form directly on the undersides of their fronds (another word for “leaves”). Fronds vary greatly in size: The largest tree ferns have 10-foot-long fronds, while smaller houseplant ferns can have fronds measuring only inches long. When it comes to ferns as houseplants, the standard of the industry is the Boston or sword fern (Nephrolepis exaltata ‘Massaii’). It’s also the prettiest fern in hanging baskets, thanks to its drooping habit, and it’s less prone to leaf drop. A new exciting variegated version is out now called ‘Tiger Fern’. It packs a punch with its great leaves, striped with dark green and lime green. | Add Photo to Journal |  | | Photo Credit: Agri-Starts II, Inc. | | The white rabbit’s foot fern has “feet” that creep over the container’s sides. |
One of my all-time hanging basket favorites – and a popular choice for children – is the white rabbit’s foot fern (Humata tyermannii). This beautiful plant has silvery-white, fuzzy “feet” (stems or rhizomes) that creep outside of whatever container it’s grown in. And for a softer look, try lacy paw (Davalia fejeensis). It has an airy and fresh appearance, with very delicate fronds.
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